Staffing a concern as companies plan ahead for the holidays
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The holiday season might seem far away, but experts said now is the time to prepare if you want to find good deals and a good job.
Companies are planning now to make sure they're staffed to make sure gifts arrive on time.
UPS announced on Thursday they are hiring for more than 5,100 seasonal positions in North Texas, including delivery drivers and package handlers with wages starting at $21 an hour.
"We have to implement procedures so we can get those employees hired and get them in within a timely manner and not wait," said Marjorie Whitfield, UPS Human Resource Manager for the Haslet Division.
With labor shortages and supply chain issues a cause for concern, the company says they have a strategy in case they fall short of staffing up.
"We utilize a matrix just looking over our previous years and the volume that we have produced and we use that to determine what our needs will be for every peak season or every holiday season moving forward," added Whitfield.
As for shopping, early birds may find better deals.
"We always say shop early and shop often in the retail business," said Gary Huddleston, Industry Consultant for the Texas Retailers Association.
Huddleston said product inventory is fine right now, they also predict a strong shopping season, despite precarious economic conditions.
"We still think online shopping will certainly be strong, but we believe because people want to get back out a little bit, that the brick and mortar stores will also do extremely well and customers will be back in the malls," said Huddleston.
If there's one concern, it's making sure there are enough workers to meet demand.
"Labor certainly continues to be a challenge for retailers in the supply chain, at the warehouse level, delivery level, truck drivers and store staffing level," added Huddleston.
With an unemployment rate around 4% in Texas, it's a competitive job market. Retailers are urging people to apply for jobs to help them out.
UPS said it has a new "digital-first" process that takes just 25 minutes to complete. It's available on their website.